‘Miss Rolande’ - as she’s been known by her students for 40 years - has decided to close the doors to explore new avenues.

“In a perfect world, I will travel both nationally and internationally, and guest-teach along the way,” Rolande said.

“I have way too much knowledge not to share it.”

She said the decision had been a very difficult one, as she loved her students, but an upcoming milestone had reminded her that life was short.

“This year my deceased son Phillip [who died of an asthma attack] will have been in heaven 18 years, which is the exact amount of years he had spent on Earth,” she said. “Yet another reminder of how fast years go by.  

“I am now 55 years of age, and have decided that the few years I have left need to be spent exploring new avenues.”

Rolande said it had been hard saying goodbye to her students, whom she had always loved to watch grow in confidence.

“The talented students are lovely to work with and keep me motivated, but it is those who struggle which give me the most satisfaction,” she said.

“The smile on their faces when they finally achieve what they have been working so hard towards is priceless.”

Rolande has been selling off all the trappings of her studio on Glen Innes Rd: mirrors, costumes, lighting, shoes, barres and props.

The props included cutouts of a cow, a train, a horse, chooks and a sleigh, and the costumes comprised tutus, leotards of every shape and size - and of course, miles and miles of sequins on almost everything.

Rolande said some of the highlights of her career had been ex-students going on to dance professionally, and one former pupil calling her from overseas to say hearing a certain piece of music had brought back treasured memories of her role in one of the studio’s concerts.

“The most rewarding thing I remember ever doing was to put on a concert to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation back in 1977,” she said.

“My dad, Rene Seveau, had been very involved in helping me prepare this showcase, which made it all the more special.

“I was only 16-and-a-half, the town hall was packed, I had hundreds of students and the feeling was awesome.”